The Foo Fighters haven’t played Richmond since last millennium, and that’s very disheartening to some local devoted fans.
The Foo Fighters haven’t played Richmond since last millennium, and that’s very disheartening to some local devoted fans.
Foo Fighters RVA has been formed to lure the band back Richmond by way of a CrowdHoster site. What they’re doing is selling tickets at $50 a pop for a concert whose venue and date is yet to be determined.
“We got the idea, I would say, sometime in 2012,” said Andrew Goldin, one of the founders of Foo Fighters RVA. “We had to find a site that would let us do it. It wasn’t until very recently that we found out about CrowdHoster. And we talked them and they were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’”
The Foo Fighters were only four years young with two albums out when they last played in Richmond, and Goldin thinks geography has caused the hiatus.
“While there’s great venues, there’s not great venues for a band of that size (in Richmond)… I don’t think they dislike Richmond by any means, I just think it’s hard for a band of that size to play here. But we’re trying to give them the impetus to do so,” said Goldin.
The group’s target goal is $70,000, and it hopes to hit that goal by offering tickets at $50 contribution. My limited math proficiency tells me that’s about 1,400 tickets, which is right around The National’s capacity. Goldin said they’d be thrilled to book The National, but they’re deliberately not naming venues so as to keep all of their possible options open.
Foo Fighters RVA’s Twitter account is gaining popularity, and even though Goldin said the group hasn’t spoken with the Foo Fighters directly yet, it was still exciting to see the Foo Fighers’ official account following them.
“I don’t know who’s running that account. I assume it’s not Dave Grohl sitting at his computer following us. But at the same there’s a chance that somebody in their circle knows about this now,” Goldin said.
Also out of the Twitterverse came support from Sugar Shack Donuts, who will be capping off the last $5,000 if Foo Fighters RVA reaches $65,000.
“My wife was trying to get the word out, and she tweeted at them (Sugar Shack). Then they just took it upon themselves, and they’ve been super supportive,” Goldin said.
If you’re interested in supporting the cause, you don’t need to worry about your money getting taken and ran with. CrowdHoster operates by authorizing – not charging – the amount of tickets you’d buy, leaving the money in your account until the goal is reached.
And what if the $70,000 is raised and Dave Grohl and co. still don’t want to come?
“From talking to CrowdHoster, my understanding is that the money’s not even charged. It’s only authorized to make sure you have the funds. And then once it hits $70,000, then everybody is charged. But even then at the point, the money will all be refunded if the band turns it down,” Goldin said.
There’s over two weeks left to hop on this chance to bring a massive band into Richmond, all with minimal risk. Support Foo Fighters RVA’s campaign at Crowdhoster here: https://foofightersrichmond.crowdhoster.com/help-bring-the-foo-fighters-back-to-rva
